trademark

A court in China has ruled that retailers should cease iPad sales, dealing a setback to Apple in its battle for the iPad trademark in that country.

Xie Xianghui, a lawyer for Shenzhen-based Proview Technology, told the Associated Press that the Intermediate People's Court in the city of Huizhou made the ruling Friday.

However, the report says the ruling is not expected to have a far-reaching effect, noting that Proview has asked commercial authorities to block iPad sales in 40 cities. Apple representatives did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the ruling, but the company has … Read more

Apple could find itself mired in a $2 billion lawsuit from Proview Technology in an ongoing legal battle over who owns the iPad name.

The new lawsuit would be filed in the United States and follow similar suits already launched by Proview against Apple in China.

"Right now we are selecting from three American law firms to sue Apple in the United States for $2 billion in compensation," Hejun Vanguard Group chairman Li Su said at a press conference today, according to TechCrunch and other sources. Hejun Vanguard is a consulting firm working with creditors to restructure Proview, … Read more

The correspondence between Apple and Proview Technology chronicling what looks very much like the successful sale of the iPad trademark between the two companies has made its way into the wild.

Fifteen pages that include e-mails between Proview and IP Application Development Limited (the U.K.-based firm that bought the name off Proview), were posted this afternoon by All Things D.

The files are in conjunction with a Hong Kong court decision from July of last year, wherein the judge sided with Apple, saying the company continued to own the rights to the iPad trademark in the country.

In … Read more

Apple's legal headache over the iPad trademark in China is getting worse, now that a local company is seeking a ban on iPad imports and exports there.

Bloomberg reports that Proview International Holdings, which says it owns the rights to the iPad name in China, has filed paperwork with the country's customs body seeking a ban of both imports and exports of the device.

Should Proview succeed, its move could dramatically affect Chinese sales of the popular device--not to mention its worldwide distribution. The iPad, just like many other popular Apple products including the iPhone and iPod Touch, … Read more

ICANN, the Internet overseer that's begun a process to expand Net domains dramatically beyond the likes of .com and .edu, said today 100 organizations have registered to get involved.

The expansion concerns generic top-level domains, or GTLDs. ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) spent years putting the new program together so the Internet could use Web and e-mail addresses ending in .paris, .canon, .hotel, and .eco.

As of Monday, 100 registrants successfully joined the program, but ICANN didn't say who they are or what GTLDs they're seeking to establish. Organizations have until March 29 … Read more

Chinese authorities have seized iPads from a third-party retailer, according to several sources in China, a move apparently brought on by Apple's continued refusal to honor a trademark owned by a Chinese manufacturer for the name iPad.

The seizure by government officials netted 45 iPad 2 units under the auspices of an official investigation over a trademark lawsuit that claims Apple has no right to sell a device named "iPad" in China. That right allegedly belongs to Proview, a Shenzhen-based manufacturer that is fighting hard to claim a $1.6 billion payout from Apple.

Some retailers, after … Read more

Apple wants a Chinese court to take another look at an iPad-related trademark lawsuit it filed against a local company.

IDG News reports that Apple filed an appeal with the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province on January 5, seeking once again to have its case against Proview Technology heard. Last month, the court rejected the lawsuit but gave Apple 30 days to file an appeal.

The original legal fracas between the two companies began shortly after the iPad was introduced. Apple took aim at Proview for infringing its trademark of the iPad name. Proview countered by saying it … Read more

commentary A bipartisan group of leading members of Congress, led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), today unveiled draft legislation that could ease tensions in a growing firefight over online piracy pitting technology industries and consumers against content providers.

The bill, "The Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade" or OPEN Act, provides a narrow and sensible alternative to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act, bills pending in the House and Senate respectively. OPEN's sponsors expect to introduce the legislation in both houses within a week. Wyden and … Read more

After a Chinese judge rejected Apple's lawsuit against Chinese manufacturer Proview Technology for illegally using the iPad name, a countersuit could be heading Apple's way to the tune of $1.5 billion.

According to Chinese newspaper The Southern Metropolis Daily (via Reuters), the iPad name had already been legally registered as a trademark in China (as well as several other countries) by Proview Technology, citing documents that date as far back as 2000.

Perhaps adding a little conspiracy theory to the mix, the Intermediate People's Court of Shenzhen made the ruling, not surprisingly in favor of Shenzhen-based … Read more